Historic Periods of Tipton-Hanyes...

Native American thru Early Settlers (-1783)

Imagine the buffalo and elk walking around Buffalo Mountain, coming to drink from the "bold spring" located on what is now the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site. For years the animals walked three or four abreast to beat down a solid trail. Over 4,000 years ago, the Early Woodland Indians and later the Cherokees followed the animals and establishes hunting camps on the site. The Cherokee Indians guided early explorers James Needham and Gabriel Arthur (1673) and later Daniel Boone (1760s) in the area.

State of Franklin (1783-1796)

Col. John Tipton (1730-1813), who served in the Virginia Conventions with Thomas Jefferson, moved his family from Virginia to the new territory in 1783. His brother Jonathan was already in the area, having fought in the Revolutionary War Battle at Kings Mountain in 1780. Many settlers who were moving into the land that belonged to North Carolina wanted to establish a new state. Loyalties were divided between supporting the new State of Franklin or remaining loyal to North Carolina. John Sevier, the local hero of the Battle at Kings Mountain, became the first and only governor of the State of Franklin and Col. John Tipton led the opposition. The only "battle" between the two forces was fought in 1788 at Col. Tipton's farm. It brought about the end of the State of Franklin, and when Tennessee became a state in1796, Col. Tipton represented Washington County in the first two General Assemblies.

Growth of the State

John Tipton, Jr. (1767-1831) inherited the home in 1813. He served as legislator in the Tennessee General Assembly from 1803-1819. Between 1819 and 1829, he ran for the United States Congress, losing by narrow margins each time. He died in 1831 in Nashville while serving in the 19th General Assembly.

David Haynes purchased the Tipton farm for his son Landon Carter Haynes (1816-1875) when he married Eleanor Powell in 1839. He enlarged and renovated the mansion and developed the site much as it appears today. He was elected to the State Legislature in 1845 and 1846, and was the speaker of the lower house in 1849. He was presidential elector in 1844, 1848 and 1860.

The Civil War

Haynes' State's Rights position propelled him into the Senate of the Confederate States of America despite strong Union support in the area. The village of Blue Plum was renamed Haynesville in honor of Landon Carter Haynes, who was largely responsible for bringing the railroad through Northeast Tennessee. Following the war, the name was changed to Johnson's Depot. It became Johnson City in 1869.